Posts from the Pastor of Richmond's First Baptist Church

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What, finally, shall we say?

What, finally, shall we say
In the last moment
When we will be confronted
By the Unimaginable,
The One
Who could not be measured
or contained
In space or time
Who was Love
Unlimited?

What shall we answer
When the question is asked
About our undeeds
Committed
In his name—
In the name of him
For whose sake we promised
To have courage
To abandon everything?

Shall we say
That we didn’t know—
That we couldn’t hear the clatter
Of hearts breaking—
Millions of them—
In lonely rooms, in alleys
and prisons
And in bars?

Shall we explain
That we thought it mattered
That buildings were constructed
And maintained
In his honor—
That we were occupied
With the arrangements
Of hymns and prayers
And the proper, responsible way
Of doing things?

Shall we tell him
That we had to take care
Of the orderly definition
of dogmas
So that there was no time
To listen to the
sobbing
Of the little ones
Huddled in corners
Or the silent despair
Of those already beyond
sobbing?

Or, shall we say this, too:
That we were afraid—
That we were keeping busy
with all this
To avoid confrontation
Wih the reality of his
meaning
Which would lead us to
repentance—-
That it was fear that
kept us
Hiding in church pews
And in important boards
and committees
When he went by?

—Ursula Solek

Bonus: Take a look at these picturesand the accompanying story by Ryan Phillips, grandson of Irma Lee Hardie, one of our regular volunteers in Community Missions.

Jim….Hi! I can’t believe this! I have had a copy of Ursula Soleks poem for a long time and wanted to share it with my Chester Baptist Bible study group…I couldn’t find my copy so I googled it and up came your blog! Oh, dearie, it really is a small world. I’ll see you at the next healing service–maybe. I hope the family wedding weekend was joyful and that the young folks will have a marriage that brings all good things. I continue to hear you and love you and FBC….Roberta